{"id":58190,"date":"2026-04-07T09:57:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/ringleader-of-suspected-human-trafficking-network-arrested-in-ethiopia\/07\/04\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:57:20","slug":"ringleader-of-suspected-human-trafficking-network-arrested-in-ethiopia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/ringleader-of-suspected-human-trafficking-network-arrested-in-ethiopia\/07\/04\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Ringleader of suspected human trafficking network arrested in Ethiopia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Police in Ethiopia have arrested a man accused of being at the centre of a multi-million-dollar international human trafficking ring that since 2018 has lured thousands of people to Libya, where they hoped to travel on to Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Yetbarek Dawit is alleged to have operated five detention warehouses in Libya, torturing migrants there to try and force their relatives to send extra money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He was detained along with nine of his alleged accomplices in northern town of Shire, according to police. They are yet to be charged in court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Police say testimonies collected so far suggest the network has been involved in the deaths of more than 100 people and the sexual abuse of more than 50 women.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The arrests were the result of a complex and cross-border investigation, the police said, involving an organisation called the Regional Operational Centre (Rock) &#8211; set up to tackle smuggling networks in East Africa and funded by the European Union.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em><strong>Warning: This story contains details some may find distressing.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Photos of suspects &#8211; seven men and three women &#8211; taken after their arrest in Shire, which is in the northern region of Tigray and borders Eritrea and Sudan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EthiopianFederalPolice1\/posts\/pfbid0HB6ajiBvyg4BCKK91FJgW1vBqJpfBT1eUxDA3WPwXVtz4QTNjc1mEFj4wDbj6Timl?rdid=THpLpxkeI8n8xd4o#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:were posted on the Ethiopian Federal Police's Facebook page;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;were posted on the Ethiopian Federal Police'&quot;}\" class=\"link \">were posted on the Ethiopian Federal Police&#8217;s Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The traffickers are alleged to have transported more than 3,000 mainly young people from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan to Libya using various routes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to the police, Yetbarek is wanted internationally and uses a variety of aliases:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\"\/>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Ahmed&#8221; in Djibouti and Somalia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\"\/>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Kibrom&#8221; in Sweden and other European countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Armed with these names, investigators had been able to use advanced technology to track down Yetbarek, the police said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The bank accounts of Yetbarek and his accomplices had been frozen and the properties belonging to the group confiscated, it added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Testimonies gathered from more than 100 alleged victims and their families living in Ethiopia, Libya, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and Canada had also aided the investigation, the police said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They told of the gruesome experience of those held in the warehouses in Libya &#8211; allegedly forced to contact their families to send more money to the traffickers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Those who could not pay were allegedly given food only once a day and were subjected to extreme torture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This allegedly included beatings with rubber, sticks and electric wires, being chained by their hands and feet, and having melted plastic dripped on to their bodies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Women were allegedly subjected to sexual violence, also resulting in severe physical and psychological injuries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The group is believed to have generated more than $19m (\u00a314m) through these criminal activities, according to the police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Following their arrest in Tigray, the 10 suspects were taken on Monday to the capital, Addis Ababa.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">You may also be interested in:<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[Getty Images\/BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Go to <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/bbcafrica.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBCAfrica.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;BBCAfrica.com&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>BBCAfrica.com<\/em><\/a><em> for more news from the African continent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Follow us on Twitter 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